Declan Rice was involved in a heated exchange with Arsenal assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg at half-time of the Gunners' Carabao Cup win over Chelsea, with Gabriel stepping in to calm the situation
Declan Rice during Arsenal's game against Chelsea
Declan Rice appeared to blast Arsenal coach Albert Stuivenberg in a heated tunnel argument according to an expert lip-reader(Image: (Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock))
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Declan Rice was caught in a fiery exchange with Arsenal coach Albert Stuivenberg during the half-time break of their victory over Chelsea. Despite leading 1-0 against their London rivals in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, the Gunners' midfielder appeared far from content, with Gabriel Magalhaes forced to step in.
A video shared on Tik Tok by @pl.playbook captures the tense moment between Rice and Stuivenberg in the tunnel, with Gabriel intervening in an attempt to defuse the situation. Even after Stuivenberg departs, Rice can be seen visibly frustrated, shaking his head and throwing his arms up in exasperation.
While the exact words exchanged remain uncertain, lip-reading expert Jeremy Freeman has offered some insight to the Daily Mail. He suggests that Rice initiated the confrontation with a curt "just go," before Gabriel stepped in, pleading with Stuivenberg: "Stop, please stop, please stop".
Freeman further claims that Rice then exclaimed: "Oh for f***'s sake", followed by a scathing remark: "He doesn't know what the hell he is on about?" Throughout this heated exchange, Gabriel persistently tries to keep the peace.
Declan Rice did not appear happy with something Albert Stuivenberg said
Declan Rice did not appear happy with something Albert Stuivenberg said(Image: pl,playbook on Tik Tok)
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Declan Rice later threw his arms up in the air
Declan Rice later threw his arms up in the air(Image: pl,playbook on Tik Tok)
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Rice, 27, has been outstanding for Arsenal this season, having added to his goal contribution tally with the assist for Ben White. Alongside that, his leadership credentials have been widely acknowledged and his passionate outburst is likely just another sign of his desire to maintain the highest possible standards.
Meanwhile, club captain Martin Odegaard has faced criticism for not showing enough of that same intensity, though Arteta made it abundantly clear the armband isn't going anywhere.
Before the season kicked off, Arteta said: "My opinion is clear and it is not just my opinion, it is all the staff and especially the players. I asked them to vote for the captain and I got the results yesterday.
"By a mile, by 100 miles, everybody chose the same person which is Martin Odegaard. Which is the most clear sign you can have is how they feel about who has to be their captain, to defend, improve and win the matches we want to win. I think there is no question about that."
Odegaard has shown his quality in recent weeks, but struggled to influence proceedings against Chelsea. Nevertheless, Arsenal netted three times with Arteta full of praise for his side's attacking display, whilst equally frustrated by their defensive frailties having shipped two goals.
Mikel Arteta reacts with Arsenal players after the game against Chelsea
Mikel Arteta offered an honest verdict on Arsenal's display against Chelsea(Image: PA)
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He said: "First of all, I have to praise the players for the performance, for the game that we just played against a really good opponent.
"With so much quality on that pitch, we had the feeling at the end after the 1-3 and the very dominant period that we had in that time, that we had two massive chances to score the fourth one and the result would have been very different.
"But in that moment, they had an action, they created a corner, they scored a goal, and's it's game on. So that feeling is not perfect but as well we have to value what the team has done again."
The Gunners face five fixtures before the second leg at Emirates Stadium, with Premier League encounters against Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Leeds United scheduled alongside European ties with Inter and Kairat Almaty.